And
by godtierGrammarian
Summary: and she's not coming back, is she. [the ending of twilight princess. midlink.] — more poetry than prose, really.


It's over.

It's finally over, and all he can think is that this wasn't how it was supposed to end.

Ganondorf stands over him, dead, the Master Sword buried in his stomach, his cape flapping like a phantom in the wind. Zelda stands beside him, her bow forgotten, and she lifts a hand to rest on his shoulder, his name forming quiet on her lips. But Midna... there's a hollowness inside of him when he thinks of it, that all that's left of her is a broken stone mask and a hole in his chest where his heart used to be, a hole in his life where an imp used to be.

Zelda's hand on his shoulder is all that anchors him to this world as he stands there, just stands there, and there's a growing void within him.

and despair threatens to overwhelm him—

but—

...

but...

all of a sudden,

the light spirits —

appear on the hill, and they're looking at something (a mask — )

he realizes — (it's her)

(she's alive, he — )

and as his heart floods with light and life again, they turn to look at him.

and then they're gone, fading like the memory of his emptiness.

and gods be damned if he doesn't run up that hill like a madman, heedless of how ridiculous he looks, to pause, panting hard, when instead of a stone mask there's only a swath of fabric, like a cape, and an unfamiliar figure knelt on the ground before him.

he slows, stops, and can only watch dumbly as the figure rises, stands, and then turns, almost shy, to look at him —

and then she smiles.

and his heart stops. just stops.

and her eyes are so full of warmth and mischief and he knows it's her when she says in a voice as familiar as his own, "what? say something! am i so beautiful that you've no words left?"

and he can only smile like a fool and sigh, he can breathe again, and the next thing he knows she's got her arms around him, swinging him around like he weighs nothing at all, and his face is wet, with her tears or with his own, and a laugh catches in his throat like a sob.

"gods, link," she breathes into his hair. "you made it, after all."

and he can only cling to her like she's the last link he has to this world, like he'll vanish, fade away in the air if he lets her go this time. so he holds onto her, hangs on like he'll never let go.

and she lets him, and even when zelda comes up the hill they don't let go, just look up as one, the joy brimming on their faces until it overflows and even zelda can't help but smile despite herself.

but after a moment her smile fades, and she looks at midna with something like a question in her eyes, solemn and sad, and midna only looks back at her with resolve, and it's the face she makes when she's made up her mind about something.

her arms tighten around link and link looks between them, confused.

it doesn't make sense,

—

until later, they're at the top of the mirror chamber, and he's looking at her with such hope she can't stand it, so she —

she —

 _"link... i..."_

a tear glows gold drifts in the air the mirror ruptures with a splitting

CRACK

 _"...see you later..."_

link looks at her, the breath catches in his throat and somehow even though he doesn't know what's going to happen

he DOES and he

—

she's looking at him

she's looking at him and even though she says nothing and he says nothing they're practically screaming at one another

—

her eyes say LIVE, LIVE

live you stupid boy, live another day

live like you mean it

live even when you don't want to anymore

live, for me

please, it's all i ask of you

link, just

LIVE

...

(and maybe, just maybe,

 _i love you, too_ )

—

and his eyes can only say WHAT

what's happening where are you

going why did you

what's going on please don't i

midna wh

what's

midna ?

what wait stop _MIDNA_

—

and she only looks at him

LIVE

and he only looks at her and

WAIT

and

.

.

.

and

the mirror

shatters.

and

there's nothing left.

th

ere;s no stairs, no light

on the rock

only black, black stone

and an empt y cradle.

and sh

she'

hh h hh h hhhhh

he's on the ground and she's

gone

GONE

and she's NOT

she's not

...coming...

back...

—

he

his

fingers

theyre trembling

gods they're

he can't

—

there is no emptiness inside of him.

there is only a bottomless well of sorrow

and he cries tears like blood

or water

bursting forth from deep inside him

and it is not pretty, or quiet, or easy,

he's _sobbing_

heaving into the sand, his face mottled and he

he can'tbreathe

she's GONE

his fists bury themselves in the sand,

cut on little bits of glass too small

to ever put back together and they're

caught up on the wind to be blown away,

mixed with the sands of this world

—

 _forever_

—

and there is

 _nothing_ left

and he is not

and never will be

o k ay

becau se

SHE'S GONE

SHE...

IS

G ONE...

and she's NOT

she's not

.

.

.

coming back.

—

zelda shes not coming back, is she.

is she.

—

and,

"no,"

there is nothing left

he crawls half blind to the base of the mirror to the stone where she once stood, and, fingers fisted, eyes wet and sticky with sand, he curls up there, shakes, trembles all over, and refuses to budge until night comes and he's sobbed until his stomach _hurts_ and there is nothing left

to stop him from screaming into the night

.

.

.

 _W A I T_

.

.

.

why didnt y ou

...wait

for m e

i

just wante d

to LIVE

with y o u

with me

and that's

all i wanted

.

.

.

why

didnt you just

.

.

.

.

...w ait...

and the sun rises over the sand (glass)

and he

gets up

stained by tears like blood from this battle

and he

gets up

and he walks away, from that mirror

and he

dies, inside

—

even though,

(LIVE)

she told him

(LIVE)

not to

—

he

dies, inside

.

.

.

and he's NOT

he's not

coming

.

.

.

back,

—

is he.

.

.

.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm sorry.**


End file.
